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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28263945">EILF: A Yizhan Christmas Story</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PiscesDragon/pseuds/ShamelessPeterPan'>ShamelessPeterPan (PiscesDragon)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Chinese Actor RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Christmas, Christmas Crack, Christmas Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Santa Kink, Santa Xiao Zhan, Sexy Elf, Takes place in the US but they aren't American, Yizhan - Freeform, college students, inappropriate Santa groping</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:36:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,687</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28263945</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PiscesDragon/pseuds/ShamelessPeterPan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Xiao Zhan is a college student just trying to get through the end of the semester and balance his part-time job at the local mall. When he gets talked into taking over as Santa, he’s sure it will be a complete disaster. But that’s before he meets a gorgeous elf that makes the entire experience a little more sweet.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan | Sean</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>120</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>EILF: A Yizhan Christmas Story</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/OverthinkingThis/gifts">OverthinkingThis</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Inspiration for this fic came from <a href="https://twitter.com/OldObsess/status/1303055099707654147?s=20">this tweet</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/BjyxObsessed/status/1303056118659284992?s=20">started with this general idea.</a></p>
<p>This is my thank you/Christmas gift to T -- you have been an amazing beta over the last few months, and I'm so glad I've gotten to know you this year!!</p>
<p>Important Notice: This story takes place in the US, so I want to give readers a heads up that Xiao Zhan using the name “Sean Xiao” does make an appearance. I know there can be strong opinions about it, (I myself am not a big fan of using his English name), but there was no way to avoid its use in this story. Though I will just say, I’ve only used it when absolutely necessary!</p>
<p>Big thanks to Jalpari for doing the beta read for me!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The woman came running into the store at top speed, skidding to a stop in her bright pink heels. She straightened her pantsuit as she quickly scanned the store, obviously looking for someone. Suddenly, her head jerked to the checkout counter, where Xiao Zhan stood watching her with curiosity. Her eyes widened as she raised a hand to point at him, the brightly painted fingernail giving the impression of a bloody talon.</p>
<p>“You!” she shouted in a shrill voice.</p>
<p>Xiao Zhan jerked in surprise, and the toy he’d been holding flew out of his hands straight into the air.</p>
<p>“I… I’m sorry?” he stuttered. He didn’t know who the woman was, but he was sure he’d seen her around the mall, and she looked important.</p>
<p>“You,” she said again, still pointing and stalking toward him. She glanced at the woman he’d just finished ringing up. “I’m sorry, I just need one second with him.”</p>
<p>She came around to the side of the counter, then stepped back out of the way as he bent over to pick up the stuffed animal he’d dropped.</p>
<p>Xiao Zhan picked it up, running his hand over the soft white fur. He slid over to the little boy waiting in front of the counter and crouched down so they were eye level. Holding out the toy, he smiled and said, “He hopped out of my hands for a second, but he’s ready to go home with you!”</p>
<p>The little boy’s face brightened and he grabbed the bunny, clutching it to his chest with a bright smile. He looked over his shoulder, taking the hand of his mother who thanked Xiao Zhan before heading toward the exit.</p>
<p>“I knew you were the person I was looking for!” said the woman who’d come in shouting at him earlier. His expression must have been horribly confused because she continued, “You <em> do </em> understand English, right?”</p>
<p>“Yes — yes, of course,” Xiao Zhan answered, wishing just once that his strong accent wouldn’t lead to that question. He’d been in the United States as a student for the last five years, and studying English for as long as he could remember. He was perfectly functional with the language, thank you very much.</p>
<p>The woman looked him over with a critical eye. “I don’t think we’ve ever had an Asian Santa before… And you’re very young. How old are you? Are you even over eighteen?”</p>
<p>Xiao Zhan’s breath caught in his throat, and he choked, coughing nervously.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, did you say <em> Santa?” </em> he asked incredulously. “And who are you?”</p>
<p>He’d learned a long time ago — the hard way — not to volunteer information to people he wasn’t sure could be trusted.</p>
<p>“Oh! I’m sorry,” the woman said, holding out her hand for him to shake. “I’m Stacey Peters. Events manager here at Fairhills Mall. And you are?”</p>
<p>“Xiao Zhan,” he answered, shaking her hand politely. He noticed the uncomfortable glaze pass over her eyes and swiftly added, “You can call me Sean.”</p>
<p>“Oh!” she exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief, most likely at the idea that he wouldn’t make her try to pronounce his given name. It was a signal he’d become very used to over the last few years. “Well, Sean, I could really use your help. I need a new Santa, stat.”</p>
<p>“Santa?” Xiao Zhan asked, his expression indicating he clearly believed the woman had lost her mind. He didn’t know much about Santa, but the fact that he was an old, fat, often white person with a large white beard was common knowledge. As a thin, twenty-three year old college student from China, he couldn’t understand what she could <em> possibly </em> want with him.</p>
<p>“Yes. I know it’s a stretch, but I’m desperate. There are only two weeks until Christmas — there’s no WAY I’m going to be able to find another Santa on such short notice!” she explained, her eyes wide and betraying her panic. “And it’s not like I can just pull any man off the street and let children sit on his lap!”</p>
<p>She mumbled something to herself, seeming to forget Xiao Zhan was there.</p>
<p>“What happened to the Santa you had?” he couldn’t help but ask.</p>
<p>“Oh, <em> god… </em>” Stacey shuddered. “There was an incident with an underage elf… And then we found out he gave false information for his background check. I can’t really get into it because of the police investigation...”</p>
<p>Xiao Zhan looked at her in alarm, but didn’t ask further questions. Some things it was better not to know about.</p>
<p>“You want… <em> me? </em> To play Santa?” he asked, his voice rising in disbelief.</p>
<p>“You’re the best option I’ve got, kid,” Stacey said honestly. “I know you had to have passed a background check to work here, and you’re obviously great with kids. Do you have any particular issue with letting them sit on you?”</p>
<p>“Wha… No, but —”</p>
<p>“Great! You’ll start tomorrow,” Stacey said, plowing full steam ahead as if he’d already agreed to the job. “I’ll work it out with your boss, and we can even keep your hours the same if you need to. Most of the other Santas are retired, so they’re flexible. Or can we change up your schedule?”</p>
<p>Xiao Zhan sputtered wordlessly before exclaiming in desperation, “I’m a college student!”</p>
<p>The information didn’t have the desired effect.</p>
<p>“Oh! That’s great! So you’re definitely old enough. That’s no problem, we’ll use your existing schedule.”</p>
<p>“I’ve got finals this week…” Xiao Zhan said weakly. His first exam was the next morning, and the last thing he needed was a new job being thrown at him.</p>
<p>“Are you off the rest of the week?” Stacey asked.</p>
<p>“No, but —”</p>
<p>“Then you’ll start tomorrow,” she said. “Just show up at your scheduled time, but come to the main mall office on the third floor. I’ll have a costume ready for you.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think —”</p>
<p>“The Santas get a five hundred dollar bonus, you know,” the woman pointed out with a knowing glint in her eye. Her gaze ran down his body appraisingly. “We’ll have to use a lot of stuffing. How tall are you?”</p>
<p>“Six feet,” he answered as his shoulders dropped in defeat. There was no way he could turn down the extra money. He was determined to make it home for a visit over the summer, and a paycheck like that would make it a lot easier to afford an airline ticket.</p>
<p>“Crap… I totally forgot that I’ll need to find another elf, too,” Stacey complained. “I wonder if there’s another mall employee I can borrow for the next few weeks.”</p>
<p>A loud crash nearby caught their attention, and Xiao Zhan turned his head to see a vaguely familiar mop of sandy blond hair atop startled brown eyes. He caught only a glimpse of a handsome young man standing next to a toppled display shelf, a pile of doll clothes laying around the floor and a brown puppy with floppy ears gripped in his hands, before the customer flew into motion.</p>
<p>“Sorry!” he squeaked, bending down to begin picking up the stock on the floor.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about it,” Xiao Zhan called to him, though the man didn’t look up. “I’ll fix it in just a second.”</p>
<p>“Well, Sean, I’m off to put out more fires,” Stacey said. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”</p>
<p>They quickly say their goodbyes and after watching her head through the store’s doors, Xiao Zhan remembered the fallen display he needed to straighten. He turned, finding the expected mess, but the customer seemed to have vanished. With a shake of his head, Xiao Zhan began dealing with the clutter, waiving away the co-worker trying to come over to help. As he hung the tiny clothes and righted the animals arranged on the shelf above them, he was reminded about what an easy job he had at the toy store.</p>
<p>He had a strange feeling the job he’d agreed to take on for the next few weeks wouldn’t be nearly as simple.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The next day, after texting his boss to ensure everything had been sorted with mall management — and that the Santa job offer hadn’t actually been a horrible nightmare — Xiao Zhan got to the mall early. He was so used to his normal route from the parking lot to the toy store, it was easy to forget all the other stores the mall had to offer when he didn’t pass by them on a daily basis.</p>
<p>Not that he could afford to purchase much at the mall, but window shopping could be enjoyable as well. As he passed by a shoe store, Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but slow down at the sneakers that caught his eye. The Nikes were a pretty bright blue with simple black velcro instead of laces, and the familiar “swoosh” symbol on the sides were shaped into fluffy white clouds. They were <em> fun </em> — not like most of the other shoes on display, which looked similar to all the rest in the store. Xiao Zhan ran a wistful hand over the cloud design and glanced at the price tag.</p>
<p>As expected, there was no way he could afford them. With a sigh, he turned away and headed on to the office to be prepped for his temporary job.</p>
<p>The training — if it could even be called that — was minimal. When he got to the office, he was greeted by a man slightly older than himself, whose unhappy face reminded Xiao Zhan of a blank wall. Steve, as he introduced himself, was apparently Stacey’s assistant and would be helping him get started. He shoved a red and white costume into Xiao Zhan’s hands then escorted him to the employee lounge where he could change.</p>
<p>As they walked, the man filled him in on his new job duties in an expressionless voice that left Xiao Zhan wondering if the man could possibly hate his job more than he already seemed to. Xiao Zhan hoped more than anything that he wouldn’t end up like this guy after graduating and moving into a career. He’d certainly taken a lot of risks and caused himself a number of problems in an effort to live a life he could be happy with.</p>
<p>After getting changed into his suit and stuffing the extra padding everywhere it would fit, Xiao Zhan took the large white beard over to the mirror and put it on, tying the strings behind his head and then covering them with the hat.</p>
<p>“How do I look?” he asked the man.</p>
<p>Steve gazed at him with a disinterested look. “Fine, I suppose,” he answered.</p>
<p>With that glowing commendation, Xiao Zhan followed the man to the main floor where a giant sleigh and a throne of sorts awaited him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> 🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄</p>
<p> </p>
<p>All in all, the first day didn’t go as badly as Xiao Zhan feared. There were a few scared children, and a fair number of tears, but nothing so bad as to induce his own, thankfully. He couldn’t help but marvel at this strange American practice that he’d suddenly been thrust into. What kind of parents forced their child onto a stranger, only to talk about the things they want and then smile for a picture?</p>
<p>It was the craziest thing he’d ever seen.</p>
<p>And he was a lifelong fan of k-pop.</p>
<p>Two elves, both young girls who looked as if they were probably still in high school, were working as his assistant and the cashier for the day. They were fine to work with, friendly enough and happy to supply him with water and short breaks. The only real issue he had was that they couldn’t seem to stop giggling at him whenever he took the beard off. It was hot, scratchy and uncomfortable, and he knew he must look ridiculous with the getup and his own unwrinkled face. At least the horrid beard gave him something to hide behind most of the day.</p>
<p>On the second day of his Santa gig, the job became a lot more interesting.</p>
<p>After racing out of his last exam with a quick prayer to the gods for a fortuitous grade, Xiao Zhan got to the mall with just enough time to get changed. They’d told him he could take the costume home, but the thought of wearing it on the bus was far from appealing. </p>
<p>In the worker’s lounge, Xiao Zhan stashed his bag in a locker and clicked on the lock he’d brought along. He checked that his phone was snug inside the inner pocket of his velvet pants, then adjusted the padding around his stomach, positioning the belt a bit higher to help keep it all in place. He didn’t bother to look up at the sound of the lounge door, preferring to avoid interacting with any staff he might know while stuffed into a fat, ridiculous costume.</p>
<p>Suddenly a pair of green shoes entered his field of vision, distracting Xiao Zhan from his preparation. They were bright green and oddly shaped, with pointed ends that curled up at the toe in front. Intrigued, his gaze lifted to legs covered in red and green striped tights.</p>
<p>They were very nice legs…</p>
<p>“Hey,” a deep voice greeted him.</p>
<p>Xiao Zhan’s eyes shot up to look at the speaker, taking in the rest of his outfit in the process. Cartoonish green shorts cut high over well-shaped thighs, and there were more red and green stripes on his arms, tucked under the short sleeves of a green button down with sharp scallops at the edges. A black belt cinched around his waist, making it look very small in contrast to his broad shoulders. On top of his head sat a floppy green hat, with dark blond hair peeking out from underneath. But all of that was secondary to the gorgeous face and the deep brown half-moon eyes that gazed at Xiao Zhan with interest.</p>
<p>The boy staring at him should have looked completely ridiculous, and he would have — if he wasn’t so unimaginably hot. </p>
<p>“I wasn’t staring at your legs!” Xiao Zhan blurted, feeling a flush creep around his neck.</p>
<p>The boy smirked, adjusting the hat on the top of his head. “I didn’t say you were.”</p>
<p>“Oh… Well…” Xiao Zhan said slowly, his brain racing for the words that would help him save face and not look like an idiot in front of such a beautiful person. “Are you an elf?”</p>
<p>He nearly smacked himself in the face for asking such a stupid question.</p>
<p>Luckily, the boy chuckled. “What gave it away?”</p>
<p>The boy’s relaxed manner helped ease Xiao Zhan’s sudden anxiety, and he couldn’t help but tease. “The shoes,” he answered. “Those went out of style a few years ago, I think.”</p>
<p>“Ah, an attack straight to my pride,” the boy answered, clutching dramatically at his chest. “I’d probably be fired on the spot if I stepped foot into the store for my regular job in these things.”</p>
<p>“Oh?” Xiao Zhan asked with interest. “Do you work another job at the mall, too?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, at Kicks — the shoe store?” said the boy, and Xiao Zhan nodded in acknowledgement. “Are you ready to go? I’m assuming we’re both headed to the same place.”</p>
<p>“If not, that means this mall is really torturing its employees,” Xiao Zhan chuckled. He held out a hand in greeting. “I’m Sean, by the way.”</p>
<p>“Wang Yibo,” the boy answered with perfect Mandarin intonation as he took his hand to shake. </p>
<p>Xiao Zhan had noticed that the boy had a bit of an accent, but it wasn’t obviously identifiable, and his blond hair only made him more difficult to pin down. </p>
<p>Wang Yibo looked at him with interest. “Sorry if this is rude, but you don’t seem like a <em> Sean.” </em></p>
<p>“Oh, I’m not — not really,” Xiao Zhan blushed. “My name is Xiao Zhan. I’m actually from China. Are you also?”</p>
<p>He didn’t want to assume — there was a large and growing community of Asian immigrants in the city with a wide variety of backgrounds. It was one of the things he liked most about the area, with many people from different places all coming together to build something new. </p>
<p>“Yeah, originally,” Yibo replied as they set out to head to Santa’s workshop. “Though I moved when I was young.”</p>
<p>The short walk and elevator ride went by quickly as they made their way to work, with Yibo asking questions and Xiao Zhan chatting about his history and coming to the US to study. It may have been due to their shared background or just the fact that the boy seemed so interested, but he quickly found Yibo very easy to talk to.</p>
<p>The work day went smoothly, though he didn’t have much time to chat with Yibo again. The line of families never seemed to dwindle, and all Xiao Zhan could do was admire the pretty elf from a distance.</p>
<p>He wasn’t the only one admiring. The two girls from the day before were back on shift, and they couldn’t seem to take their eyes off the new addition. They giggled and flirted with him shamelessly, while Xiao Zhan was forced to watch from his throne in the sled.</p>
<p>Though Yibo was polite, he didn’t seem to return their interest. But it was no matter — the chances that a boy like that would have any interest in Xiao Zhan besides friendship were slim, and he couldn’t imagine Wang Yibo was single unless it was by choice. He seemed nice and was way too gorgeous not to be attached to some lucky girl.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> 🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A few days later, Xiao Zhan realized that telling his cousin about his new job was a mistake.</p>
<p>He was working with Wang Yibo again, who he was beginning to think was a demon sent to torment him into an early grave.</p>
<p>The boy was wearing eye shadow today, a red that drew even more attention to his beautiful eyes, and some kind of glitter on his cheekbones that sparkled when he laughed. Somehow, he was even <em> more </em> beautiful and fairy-like, and Xiao Zhan spent every spare minute that he wasn’t staring at him looking for ways to make the boy smile and light up like the Christmas trees around them.</p>
<p>The makeup was also throwing Xiao Zhan for a loop. Straight guys in this country didn’t wear makeup, at least in his experience. It felt like a window of opportunity had cracked open, but Xiao Zhan was forcing himself not to get his hopes up. How could someone like Wang Yibo take any interest in him? Especially when every time they saw each other, Xiao Zhan was waddling around like a fat, red lump of an old man.</p>
<p>In the midst of the cloud of lust and self-pity, his cousin showed up to add even more drama to his day. He saw her standing over by the display of plastic candy canes, wiggling her fingers in greeting to him with an excited smile. Her phone was already out, and he just <em> knew </em> she was snapping pictures of him. Probably to hold over his head as blackmail.</p>
<p>He just hoped he could keep Xuan Lu from sending them to his mother.</p>
<p>It wasn’t long before it was time for his break, and he waved her over to follow him to the little closet nearby that was set aside for the Santas to use. The one thing he’d been strictly instructed was not to take off the coat or beard anywhere in public where the children might see. It might be the craziest job Xiao Zhan had ever had, but he’d never want to ruin the illusion of magic for the kids that came to see him.</p>
<p>Xuan Lu giggled all the way to the break room, doubling over in laughter as he pulled off the hat and beard.</p>
<p>“Did you really come all the way here just to laugh at me?” he asked as he slid off the sleeves of the red velvet coat. He was sweaty and uncomfortable, and he still had four hours left of his shift.</p>
<p>Before she could respond, the break room door opened, and a green hat and blond head popped inside.</p>
<p>“Oh!” Yibo said in surprise when he caught sight of Xuan Lu, and the smile slid off his face. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were… busy. I just brought you some snacks.”</p>
<p>He came in just far enough to hand Xiao Zhan two bags of chips, but wouldn’t meet his eye and quickly moved to leave.</p>
<p>“Wang Yibo, this is Xuan Lu,” Xiao Zhan said. He was hoping Yibo would stick around — his cousin would be much less likely to spend the whole time making fun of him if there were another person present. He loved her like a sister, and he’d have been lost without her support over the last few years. But she could never resist the urge to tease him, especially when he was taking himself too seriously.</p>
<p>Yibo held out his hand to shake hers and bowed politely. “Nice to meet you.”</p>
<p>“You too,” Xuan Lu said with a soft smile, clearly enamored by the elf’s handsome features. In fairness, it would be impossible to be a human with eyesight and <em> not </em> want to stare at the boy.</p>
<p>Yibo shot a glance between them, then looked at Xiao Zhan. “Girlfriend?”</p>
<p>Xiao Zhan quickly shook his head and coughed in embarrassment.</p>
<p>“Cousin,” Xuan Lu answered for him with a smile.</p>
<p>Yibo’s eyes brightened a bit.</p>
<p>“Single, too,” she added with a wink.</p>
<p>Wang Yibo’s mouth dropped open and a light pink blush spread under the sparkles on his cheeks. He backed up toward the door as if afraid Xuan Lu might bite him.</p>
<p>“Um, I’m… I’ll leave you guys alone. I’m just gonna go,” he said, and nearly tripped over his pointy shoes trying to flee from the room.</p>
<p>“Wow, ZhanZhan,” Xuan Lu said after the door clicked shut. “You didn’t tell me Santa had such hot elves. That is one serious <em> eeeeii-lf.” </em></p>
<p>Xiao Zhan’s face scrunched in confusion. “He’s a what?”</p>
<p>“E-I-L-F,” she spelled, then threw him a wicked smile. “<em> Elf I’d Like to Fuck.” </em></p>
<p>The chip he’d just popped in his mouth flew out in crumbles onto the floor. “<em> LuLu!!” </em> he chided her.</p>
<p>“What?” she asked, fluttering her lashes innocently. An evil smirk spread onto her face. “Don’t tell me you’re not interested.”</p>
<p>“I didn’t say that,” Xiao Zhan admitted. “I don’t think he is, though.”</p>
<p>“Well, I don’t think he’s going to be interested in <em> me,” </em> Xuan Lu laughed. “Unless he plays with both teams, but I didn’t get that feeling. ZhanZhan, you should go after that beautiful elf!”</p>
<p>“You think?” he asked, feeling unsure of himself.</p>
<p>“If he doesn’t want you, he’s stupid,” she said firmly. “And also, then I call dibs.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> 🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄🎅🏼🎄</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re not part of the Chinese student group?” Xiao Zhan asked. After a few days of working with the other staff, Yibo was back on his shift. He was wearing the glitter again, looking like a magical elf from a fairy tale, and Xiao Zhan could swear the boy had spent the last few hours finding excuses to bend over in front of him in his tiny green shorts. Given the fact that he’d had a few fantasies about that particular pert backside, Xiao Zhan’s eyes were drawn to it at every opportunity.</p>
<p>He was going to start drooling soon, if he wasn’t careful. So he’d decided to take LuLu’s advice, get to know Yibo a little better, and flirt if he got the chance. Xiao Zhan was thrilled to learn that Yibo attended the same university he did, though he was just beginning his college education while Xiao Zhan was completing it.</p>
<p>“No… My roommate is Korean, so I mainly hang out with that crowd,” Yibo answered. They had an afternoon lull with no one in line, so he was straightening the area and chatting with Xiao Zhan to pass the time. “I studied in South Korea for most of middle school, and his Chinese is shit, so it was easier for me to just jump into that group.”</p>
<p>“You know Korean, too?” Xiao Zhan asked in awe.</p>
<p>Yibo nodded, his mouth twisting into an embarrassed grin. “I can speak it well enough, but I never got the hang of writing it. All those circles everywhere! Luckily everybody in my group chat are students, and they stick to English, since they’re so used to writing papers.”</p>
<p>“Wow…” Xiao Zhan breathed. Learning a second language had been challenging enough. He couldn’t help but be impressed at Yibo’s skills — the only Korean he knew was from a few songs he'd learned over the years.</p>
<p>“It’s no big deal,” Yibo insisted with a dismissive nod of his head.</p>
<p>“No, it’s <em> very </em> cool,” Xiao Zhan insisted, watching the tips of Yibo’s ears turn pink as he bit back a smile. “Wang-laoshi has so many talents!”</p>
<p>“Oh, but I’m not as experienced as Xiao-laoshi,” Yibo countered with a smile. “You’re older and have so much more knowledge. I’m sure you could teach me a few things.”</p>
<p>There was a twinkle in his eye that made Xiao Zhan think he might actually be flirting back. “I don’t know about that,” he said. “Wang-laoshi has traveled so much, and lived in so many different places. I’m sure you must know about a lot of things, too.”</p>
<p>Just as Yibo opened his mouth to respond, another staff member interrupted them. </p>
<p>“Hey, if you two can put this weird Santa-elf mating ritual on pause, there’s a line forming over there,” the girl said snidely.</p>
<p>Yibo gave her a cold look, but moved over to grab the tablet and start taking information and orders from those in line.</p>
<p>The rest of the following week continued in the same way, with Xiao Zhan and Yibo taking every minute of free time they had on shifts together to talk and entertain each other with stories or songs.</p>
<p>He’d learned that Yibo had moved around a lot when he was growing up due to his father’s job, and that he’d moved to the US when he was in high school. His parents lived not far from their campus, but he’d chosen to live in the dorms so he could be more independent. He admitted it was nice to be able to go visit them often for home cooked meals, though.</p>
<p>Xiao Zhan had shared with Yibo more about himself and his cousin, who was also his roommate. Xuan Lu had moved to the US with her family many years ago, and he’d chosen to attend the university based largely on the fact that she was already there. She’d graduated the year before — he was a few years behind, taking longer because of changing his major. His father hadn’t agreed with his choice to drop engineering in favor of graphic design, but Xiao Zhan had been miserable and stressed in the program. He knew he couldn’t face a lifetime of it.</p>
<p>He’d come to the US in part to be able to be himself, and building a career doing something he actually enjoyed became another factor he wasn’t willing to compromise on.</p>
<p>His father had threatened to cut Xiao Zhan off completely, for throwing away an expensive education on an art degree. Ultimately, his mother had insisted that they continue to pay for his tuition, refusing to abandon her son in a foreign land with no support. LuLu had been happy to take him in, since she’d gotten a job after graduation and stayed nearby. His aunt and uncle had offered to help him as well, but he’d refused, instead getting jobs to contribute to the rent and make enough money to support himself.</p>
<p>Yibo had looked at him as though Xiao Zhan had built an entire cruise ship by himself, so impressed that the older man wasn’t afraid to take risks to go after the life that he wanted.</p>
<p>Xiao Zhan supposed that to a young man who’d always had the freedom and means to do as he pleased, it might seem like bravery. In fact, it was just that Xiao Zhan felt he had no other choice if he wanted to avoid being miserable.</p>
<p>Before he knew it, Christmas Eve had arrived, and it was Xiao Zhan’s last few hours of playing Santa. He’d said about as many “ho ho ho’s” and “Merry Christmases” as he could stand for an entire lifetime, and although Yibo had made the job much more enjoyable, he would be happy to return to his regular job at the toy store stuffing animals and helping children choose outfits for their new furry friends.</p>
<p>He would definitely miss Yibo, though. They had become friends over their weeks of work together. And even if there was a good chance they would run into each other at their jobs at the mall or on campus after the break was over, it wouldn’t be the same as getting to spend time together regularly.</p>
<p>He knew he should try to ask Yibo out, or at least for his number so they could stay in contact and text each other. Xiao Zhan was almost sure the younger man was interested, but there was enough doubt holding him back that he hadn’t found the perfect opportunity to broach the subject.</p>
<p>It didn’t help that Yibo had taken to wearing some kind of minty cologne to work and sucking on candy canes from time to time, to go along with his “elf” persona. Xiao Zhan had then suffered dreams of doing illicit things to the younger man, which for some reason had the same flavor of licking a peppermint stick. He’d even woken up to the ghost of a strong mint taste on his tongue.</p>
<p>It was making Xiao Zhan a little crazy, to be honest.</p>
<p>The next person in line approached his chair, pulling Xiao Zhan from his thoughts. He looked up to find a grown woman, and smiled as he looked around for the child he expected to see next to her.</p>
<p>“It’s just me!” she said, tossing her straight blond hair and wasting no time in taking a seat on his lap. She was much older than Xiao Zhan, and he couldn’t help but squirm uncomfortably. She was very close to him, and wrapped an arm around his neck in a familiar manner.</p>
<p>This wasn’t the first adult he’d had in the chair with him — a small bunch of teenage girls had piled around him for a photo the week before. And once his group of friends from college got wind that he was playing Santa, all thanks to LuLu spilling it to a mutual friend in their group chat, they had shown up to heckle him as well and take a large group photo “to commemorate his shame.” That had actually ended up being fun.</p>
<p>This was <em> not. </em></p>
<p>“Hi, Santa,” the woman said in a breathy voice, and he turned away from her slightly to put some space between them.</p>
<p><em> I’m a professional, </em> he thought. <em> I can do this. </em></p>
<p>“Hello, young lady,” he said, putting on an even more jolly voice as if they were playing a game. “Have you been good this year?”</p>
<p>“Oh, yes Santa,” she answered, in what Xiao Zhan was sure the woman thought was sexy but made his stomach turn so much he worried he might lose his lunch. “I’ve been a <em> very </em> good girl.”</p>
<p>The woman moved a bit in his lap, moving the hand at his neck to his upper thigh as though to maintain her balance. But the grip didn’t relax, instead massaging his leg and slowly sliding under the edge of his jacket into unapproved territory.</p>
<p>“Ah, I see, well…” Xiao Zhan looked around desperately for some help, suddenly afraid he was about to be molested by a middle-aged woman in front of a line of small children.</p>
<p>“Look up here!” Yibo called in a gruff voice, staring daggers at the customer. “Let’s get your picture. Smile.”</p>
<p>Xiao Zhan could not, instead sitting stiff as a board and praying the woman would get up quickly.</p>
<p>However, once the flash went off, she turned to Xiao Zhan as if she wanted to make conversation.</p>
<p>“So Santa,” she said quietly. “I bet you’re pretty cute under that red coat and beard. Want to get together later? I do love a man who looks good in red.”</p>
<p>She had the audacity to run her hand along the length of his white acrylic beard, and Xiao Zhan couldn’t contain his shudder.</p>
<p>“Time’s up, lady,” Yibo’s deep voice boomed sharply. The icy stare was much different than his usual customer service demeanor, which typically ranged anywhere from disinterested worker to mildly friendly with the children to more of an energetic puppy when hanging out with Xiao Zhan on breaks.</p>
<p>“There’s no need to be rude,” the woman sniffed, looking down her sharp nose at Yibo. “I paid to see Santa, too.”</p>
<p>She moved her arm back up around Xiao Zhan’s shoulders and held tightly, anchoring herself to the spot in his lap.</p>
<p>“Yeah, well you’re not exactly part of Santa’s normal demographic,” Yibo said, clearly unamused. He was holding one of the large candy canes from the decorative display, bouncing it into his other hand like a mobster with a baseball bat.</p>
<p>“There’s no age limit on enjoying Christmas, right Santa?” The woman argued, looking at Xiao Zhan with a smile as if she expected him to agree with her.</p>
<p>He scowled beneath the beard and fought the urge to forcibly shove her off his lap.</p>
<p>“I’m just saying most adults who pay money to sit on someone’s lap tend to do it at the strip club down the street, not in the middle of the mall in front of a bunch of kids,” Yibo said, gesturing to the line of families behind him with the large candy cane. “But hey, everybody’s got their kinks.”</p>
<p>The woman’s face rapidly flushed to match Xiao Zhan’s costume, and she jumped up from her perch on his leg as if she’d been burned. “How dare you! I can’t believe —”</p>
<p>“Do you want your picture?” Yibo asked, cutting off the tirade that was coming. He handed it to her without waiting for an answer, then turned his back on her to move back over to the next person in line.</p>
<p>When Xiao Zhan saw the woman stomp off, he shot Yibo a relieved smile and told the other elf on duty that he needed to take a quick break. He figured Yibo probably needed it more than he did, if the scowl on his face was any indication.</p>
<p>He jerked his head at the younger man, silently asking if he wanted to come along, and Yibo followed obediently behind Xiao Zhan through the corridor. Once they were out of sight of most of the crowds, he grabbed Yibo by the arm and tugged him into the break room with him.</p>
<p>He gestured to the large candy cane still held in Yibo’s hand like a weapon.</p>
<p>“My hero!” he said, only a little sarcastically. “Were you going to hit her with that if she didn’t back off?”</p>
<p>“If I had to.”</p>
<p>He looked so serious, Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not sure how exactly to return the favor of fighting off overly friendly soccer moms.”</p>
<p>“You can go out with me,” Yibo suggested with a wide-eyed hopeful look.</p>
<p>“Really? You want… with <em> me </em>?” Xiao Zhan asked in surprise.</p>
<p>“Yeah… I kind of… took this job because of you,” Yibo admitted, turning away shyly.</p>
<p>“You did?”</p>
<p>Yibo scratched nervously at the back of his neck, then fixed his gaze on Xiao Zhan. “I asked for it. I wanted to work with you.”</p>
<p>Xiao Zhan stared at him. “Why?”</p>
<p>“I’d seen you around,” Yibo said with a shrug. Xiao Zhan’s shocked stare must have startled him into a full confession, because he rambled on, “Ok, I was kind of going out of my way to walk by your store. And maybe go in sometimes. And I’d seen you around campus, but I could never think of a good reason to talk to you!”</p>
<p>“What?” Finding out that Wang Yibo had a crush on him — and had for some time — made Xiao Zhan’s mind feel like it had gone offline. Nothing was computing. “Why couldn’t you talk to me?”</p>
<p>“You’re a senior… and you’re gorgeous,” Yibo said. “I didn’t think you’d have any interest in a freshman like me.”</p>
<p>The fact that the most kind, beautiful boy Xiao Zhan had ever met thought he wasn’t good enough for <em> him </em> was too much to wrap his brain around.</p>
<p>“Wang Yibo,” Xiao Zhan said in exasperation. “Are you <em> crazy?” </em></p>
<p>“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t… I’ll just go,” he said with a dejected look as he turned to leave.</p>
<p>Xiao Zhan reached out to grab his wrist, pulling him back around and straight into his arms. The padding from his costume created a buffer between them, but Xiao Zhan tightened his grip on the small of Yibo’s back, preventing him from escaping.</p>
<p>With one final glance into Yibo’s startled eyes, he leaned down to place a soft kiss on his lips. Yibo gasped, and Xiao Zhan thought he would pull away. But instead he surged forward to kiss him back, hard, pressing Xiao Zhan against the wall and claiming his lips as if he wanted to climb inside the Santa suit with him.</p>
<p>The stuffing pressing into his stomach brought Xiao Zhan crashing back to reality, and he regretfully pulled away from Yibo to catch his breath. The last thing he needed was to go back to playing Santa with a boner. Besides scarring a child — and himself — for life, getting arrested would be a really bad way to start his winter break.</p>
<p>“We should… continue this later,” Xiao Zhan breathed, dizzy with the feeling of Yibo’s large hand wrapped securely around the side of his neck.</p>
<p>“Yeah…” Yibo agreed. He licked his lips, now even more plump and kiss-swollen, and Xiao Zhan had to physically restrain himself from diving back in to continue where they’d left off. Already, kissing Yibo was like an addiction he couldn’t get enough of. He licked at his own lips, tasting the sugary peppermint flavor left behind by Yibo’s mouth.</p>
<p>“Are you going home after work?” Xiao Zhan asked as he took a step back to give himself space to breathe and get his brain back in working order.</p>
<p>“That was the plan,” Yibo replied, his face shining with a happy glow. “But my dorm isn’t very exciting. If you want, I could come hang out at your place?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Xiao Zhan answered without even thinking about it. He’d have to send LuLu a message first and maybe see if she’d be willing to find somewhere else to spend the evening… </p>
<p>“I’ll have to stop at home first to change —” Yibo started to say, but Xiao Zhan cut him off.</p>
<p>“Don’t!”</p>
<p>Yibo quirked an eyebrow with interest.</p>
<p>Xiao Zhan was not about to admit he’d spent multiple nights dreaming of the ways he would like to strip Wang Yibo out of those red and green stripes.</p>
<p>“No? Do you have a thing for elves that I should know about?” He moved closer to Xiao Zhan again, whispering in his ear, “Are you going to take me for a ride on your <em> sleigh?” </em></p>
<p>Xiao Zhan leveled him with the most sultry look he could manage. “I could… But it might be a bit bumpy.”</p>
<p>Yibo swallowed hard, then backed away with a blinding smile. “Kinky,” he purred, before slipping out the door to go back to work. </p>
<p>Xiao Zhan took a deep breath and straightened his costume, getting ready to head back to the few remaining hours of playing Santa. All in all, it hadn’t been such a bad job. After all, it looked like he’d be getting two bonuses this year — and one of them was an extremely hot elf, who Xiao Zhan was sure he’d be calling his boyfriend by the time they rang in the new year together.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I put a LOT of little yizhan candies in this story! Did you find them all? :D</p>
<p>If you enjoyed it, don't forget to leave comments and kudos!</p>
<p>Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy holiday season!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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